UTEP's Kayla Thornton named AP honorable mention All-American

UTEP's Kayla Thornton was named an Associated Press honorable mention All-American on Tuesday.

The award reaffirms what UTEP coach Keitha Adams said four years ago when she offered the local player a scholarship. When Adams signed Thornton out of Irvin High, she pointed out that she offered the 6-foot-1 forward a scholarship because of her ability, not because she was from El Paso.

Her ability was as obvious as could be by the first games of Thornton's Miner career in the winter of 2010-11. Now, four years later, there is some ultimate validation of what UTEP's all-time leading scorer and rebounder means to the program.

Along with the national award, Thornton is a first-team All-Conference-USA selection. Thornton averaged 19.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game this year, both career highs.

"It's just a blessing, all my hard work paid off, I'm just doing what I always do," Thornton said shortly before Tuesday's practice in preparation for today's WNIT semifinal with South Dakota State. "Being a home player, I've been able to shine and be humble. I hope I showed even being from El Paso, if you work hard you can make things happen."

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